Monday Night Football: Baltimore Ravens v. Cleveland Browns

It's an AFC North rivalry for tonight's edition of Monday Night Football. Share your thoughts live during the game with fellow fans right here on Battle Red Blog.

By Capt Ron Nov 30, 2015, 7:15pm CST

Baltimore Ravens (3-7)

The Ravens enter tonight's game in third place in the AFC North behind the Cincinnati Bengals (9-2) and Pittsburgh Steelers (6-5). Things couldn't be worse for this team this year, as they have a long list of injured players, and they just lost QB Joe Flacco for the season with a torn ACL.

Matt Schaub's First Start Since 2013

Former Houston Texans and Oakland Raiders QB Matt Schaub will lead the Baltimore offense tonight and reportedly had a good week of practice, according to this article from BaltimoreRavens.com:

While it remains to be seen how Schaub's first start since Dec. 29, 2013 will go, his week of practice leading up to Monday Night Football in Cleveland was a good start.

"He looked good. He looked really good," Head Coach John Harbaugh said Saturday.

"Matt has got his strengths, and every player has got different strengths. That's an interesting thing, whether it's the quarterback position or whatever position. Matt brings a unique skillset to the table and does a really good job with the things he does well. So, I'm excited to see how he's going to play Monday night, and I expect he's going to play very well."

Schaub doesn't have as strong an arm as Flacco. Every week leading up to games, opposing coaches and players will say that Flacco can make every throw on the field.

That's not Schaub's game. However, he's very knowledgeable and good at reading defenses. He's seen a lot in his 12 seasons.

Schaub can also work the play-action game well and still throw bombs. He did that a lot while playing under Gary Kubiak in Houston for seven years. The Ravens still run a similar offense now.

Schaub said this week of practice was "really smooth" in terms of the execution and the game plan. But what he's been particularly happy with is the connection he's made with his teammates.

Due to injuries, he's practicing with a lot of the same targets (and offensive linemen) that he worked with during the preseason and even on the scout team.

"Just being around here, I feel like I haven't been in the huddle with a lot of guys, but a lot of the guys that are playing I have been in the huddle with on the look team," he said. "There's a sense of camaraderie there."

Schaub said the only difference in preparation for him this week has been the reps with the first team. The mental preparation was all the same.

"The way the week's gone, we're ready to go play and cut it loose," Schaub said. "There haven't been any blips this week."

Cleveland Browns (2-8)

The Browns are deep into a five-game losing streak, anchoring the basement of the AFC North, and their quarterback situation continues to be flaming dumpster in a dark sea of despair. With the 2015 season essentially over, the right thing to do was to see if QB Johnny Manziel was worth the first round pick invested in him in 2014 by starting him for the six remaining games on the schedule. However, Manziel's off-field lifestyle continues to cloud his opportunities in the NFL.

Johnny Manziel Turmoil Continues

A TMZ video surfaced of him partying in Austin during the team's bye week, and Manziel allegedly lied about it to the organization, saying it was an older video. He also reportedly tried to cover it up.

Issue for Johnny Manziel pre-bye: #Browns wanted him to stay around the facility & lay low. When he did the opposite, they felt betrayed
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 26, 2015